Ala, speaking at the 2nd Preparatory session of the 2020 Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, added that Syria is one of the first countries to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1968, affirming Syria still respects its obligations under the provisions of the Treaty.

He pointed out that Syria is looking forward to the second preparatory process being able to make real progress towards achieving the objectives of the Treaty.

The Ambassador said that the 1995 decision to establish an area free from weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in the Middle East is still awaiting implementation without any signs that this is taking place, especially as some of the States parties to the Treaty continue to adopt positions that depart from compliance with the commitments they have assumed.

He added that all the countries of the region have expressed their readiness to take practical steps towards the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, but the Israeli entity continued, with the absolute support of its US and British allies, in its refusal to accede to the NPT.

He affirmed that what was raised by some delegates in their statements on the extent of Syrian cooperation is contrary to reality, adding that in the field of technical cooperation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue to support technical projects to improve public health and environment while in the field of verification, periodic inspection visits are carried out.

He also indicated the Agency’s report on the implementation of safeguards for 2017.

The Ambassador said that some countries continue to claim in their statements that Syria has not cooperated substantively with regard to the nature of the site targeted by the Israeli entity in its aggression on a military facility in Deir Ezzor which is contradicting the facts, since the IAEA’s conclusion regarding the site was based on guesswork and lack of material evidence.

He called on the aforementioned countries to condemn the Israeli aggression.

The Ambassador also called on the representatives of the European Union, France, Germany and the US to stop their campaigns on allegations of the use of chemical weapons and respect legal frameworks and not to confuse the Non-Proliferation Treaty with the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Chemical Weapons Convention.